Forgiveness
by WhiteWinterWolfSoldier
Summary: Caleb and Sarah take a walk until Chase is suddenly thrown out of a portal. He is injured...


-Forgiveness-

Caleb and Sarah walked through the forest in Ipswich. It was early winter. The trees had lost almost all of their leaves and were rising bare to the sky. Animals had started looking for food for the winter or eating up for the hibernation.

"So? Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve?" Sarah asked her boyfriend while holding his hand.

"Hmmm... let me think...", he said and looked thoughtful. "Ah yes, there was something. I will spend Christmas with my beloved girlfriend without my family. Only the two of us."

He smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her. Startled, they broke the kiss when a portal appeared just five meters away.

"What the -...", Caleb couldn't finish his sentence, because one person flew out of the portal and crashed into him. Both landed on the ground.

"Caleb, are you okay?" Sarah asked immediately concerned and helped her boyfriend get the person down. Caleb's eyes widened when he realized who was ahead of them. Chase! He and Sarah immediately backed away from him.

"What is he doing here?" Sarah asked fearfully, clutching Caleb's arm. He didn't answer, but took a closer look at Chase. The dark clothes of his "brother" were completely torn. Dried blood stuck to it. His face was also scarred, his lip was split and blood was flowing from his nose.

"What in the world happened to him?" Sarah asked quietly as she had let her eyes slide over Chase too.

"I don't know, but we'll find out," Caleb replied and went to the lifeless Chase to lift him up.

"What are you doing?" Asked his girlfriend in shock.

"I'll take him home and ask him when he wakes up."

Sarah was stunned. She stared at Caleb.

"I know you're not comfortable with it, but he...", Caleb took a deep breath before answering, "he's still my brother."

* * *

Sarah stood in the door of the guest room and stared at the bed where Chase was lying on it. They had been back in their little house for 15 minutes. Caleb sat on the edge of the bed, wiping Chase's glowing sweaty forehead with a cool rag. He had bandaged his brother's wound while Sarah had been silent. Chase was badly injured and barely alive. He had a deep puncture wound on his stomach and deep scores on his back, as if someone had hit him on the back with a whip fitted with little hooks.

"Who did this to him?" Whispered Sarah softly when Caleb had got up and was now standing next to her.

His eyes were on Chase.

"I don't know, but apparently Chase escaped the guy who did this to him," Caleb replied.

"How do you know Chase has escaped him and it's not a trap of his?" She asked suspiciously.

"I fought Chase and believe me he's not one of those who run from a fight," he said. "Come on, let's leave him alone."

The two were about to turn around when they heard Chase scream.

"No! Stop it! Please!" He had narrowed his eyes. He seemed to be in pain. "Stop it! Please! Argh!"

Caleb immediately went to his bed and started shaking him awake.

"Chase. Chase, wake up. Chase!"

The Warlock instantly opened his eyes and swung around. Caleb had to grip his wrists tightly so that he wouldn't hit him again.

"Chase, stop it! You're safe!"

As soon as the warlock heard the word "safe", he stopped fighting and let his arms drop.

Anxiety. Confusion. Pain. Caleb could see all the emotions in his eyes. Chase's chest rose and fell frantically.

"Th-This is a dream. You're not really here! Stop playing these games!" Chase screamed in panic and tried to free himself from Caleb's grip, but the Warlock held on tightly.

"Chase, calm down. It's me! Caleb! Your brother!"

"No! No, you are not my brother! You are not..."

Chase passed out and Caleb carefully put his brother back on the bed.

"I think the answer to what happened to him will have to wait," Caleb muttered.

He got up and left the guest room with Sarah to sit on the sofa in the living room with her. There she snuggled up to him.

"He seemed completely scared," she murmured after a while of silence.

"Yes," Caleb said, gently stroking her hair with his hand. "It must have been hell what he had to go through... on the other side. I don't know why... but when I saw him like this... so scared and completely panicked... I felt sorry for him."

Sarah broke away from him and looked at him with wide eyes in disbelief.

"I know he tried a year ago to kill me and you too, but..." Caleb sighed. "I don't know how to explain it to you... He may not be quite my brother, but he's still part of the family and we protect our family members."

* * *

Late that night, Caleb started out of his sleep in alarm when he heard a crack. He woke up his girlfriend.

"What's going on?" She asked sleepily.

"I heard something."

Sarah was immediately wide awake. Both left the bed and sneaked into the living room. Light came from the kitchen and a low murmur. Caleb cautiously crept closer to the kitchen and peeked around the corner.

He exhaled in relief when he saw Chase. The Warlock knelt on the ground and picked up the fragments of a broken bowl. Cornflakes and milk were on the table.

He waved Sarah over to him. She ran to him and also looked around the corner and saw Chase. When Sarah saw him like this, she felt sorry for him. He was completely pale, the bandage around his body was blood red and it seemed that Chase was in pain. And even though he was in pain, he really wanted to eat something. Before Sarah realized what she was doing, she faced Chase. Startled, he slid back onto the floor. He stared at her in fear. Sarah slowly crouched down and smiled at him.

"You don't have to be afraid, Chase," she said in a calm voice. "You are safe here. Nobody will hurt you."

The Warlock's eyes continued to look at Sarah until they wandered from her to Caleb, when he crouched next to his girlfriend.

"You're safe. We'll protect you, Chase," he promised.

Chase swallowed. Sarah reached out for him.

"Come on, I'll help you up."

He looked frightened at the outstretched hand. His eyes went from the hand to her and then back to the hand. The Warlock held out his own hand a little hesitantly. When her hands touched, Sarah carefully pulled him up with her. His whole body was trembling, she could see and feel that now.

"I'll take you back to bed," Sarah said in a low voice.

Chase just nodded. She put her left arm around Chase's waist to support him.

"I'll be right there. I'll just quickly put these things away here," Caleb said, starting to tidy everything up.

When Caleb came into the guest room, Sarah was sitting on the edge of the bed and gently stroking Chase's hair. His brother had closed his eyes and seemed to be sleeping. Sarah looked up when she saw her boyfriend.

"How is he?" Caleb asked in a whisper.

"He just fell asleep again. He is still scorching hot and in great pain."

"I'm surprised that you went to him when he was sitting in the kitchen."

"I felt sorry for him," Sarah replied, still stroking Chase's hair gently. "When I brought him to bed, he kept mumbling something."

Caleb frowned.

"What did he mumble?" He asked curiously.

"He would be sorry for what he did to you and me," Sarah said to her boyfriend. "He said that he wanted to be able to undo it, that he could start over and you and him could become brothers."

A smile spread across Caleb's face and he crouched in front of the edge of the bed. His eyes were on Chase's face.

"But we are already brothers and I forgive him what he did to us."


End file.
